Odysseus Characterization Paper Essay Example for Free

Odysseus Characterization Paper Essay In The Odyssey, the protagonist is a leader named Odysseus who goes on a journey with his crew to get back home to Ithaka from Troy, after the trojan war. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, the poet Homer, suggests that Odysseus is a superior leader which is revealed by Odysseuss, bravery, intelligence, and perseverance. Odysseuss bravery sets himself apart from other leaders. Odysseus has to display an example to his crew by inspiring them with his fearlessness. Odysseus illustrates his grit when he forces his crew to carry on with going to the underworld: â€Å"We must go/ to the cold homes of death and pale Persephone/ to hear Teiresias tell of time to come/ They felt so stricken, upon hearing this, / they sat down wailing loud, and tore their hair/But nothing came of giving way to grief/ Down to the shore the ship at last we went. † Homer 10. 623-625 . Odysseus showcases his hardiness when his crew does not want to go to the Underworld, but Odysseus presses on, while knowing that lost and terrifying souls await him. Odysseus’s fortitude spreads throughout his crew, if he is scared, his followers also feel fear. Without courage the team can not get home to Ithaka. In order to achieve his goal, the Odysseus needs to speak with Teiresias. Also Odysseus displays his fearlessness when he is trapped in the Kyklopss cave: â€Å"’Now, by the gods, I drove my big hand spike/ deep in the embers, charring it again,/ and cheered my men along with battle talk/ to keep their courage up: no quitting now/†(Homer 9. 06-409) . Odysseus exhibited superb pluck when executing his plan of blinding the Kyklops Had Odysseus not led his people by bravely heading the attack, his words would have meant nothing to the crew. For a leader to be â€Å"brave† he does not only have to be able do the impossible by himself, but he must also influence the people around him to continue on by his side. To be an epic leader intelligence is necessary. One can be brave, but without wit his courage may result in a poor decision. Odysseus uses his intellect to strategically send only three members of his crew to explore the land of the lotuss: â€Å"then I sent two picked men and a runner to learn what race of men that land sustained† (Homer 9. 96-97). Odysseus knows that is the inhabitants are hostile he can lose his entire team, but this way he potentially risks only a fraction of his men. Decisions made by a leader without acuity are futile and may prove harmful to his constituents. Furthermore, Odysseus exemplifies his intelligence when instead of mindlessly slaughtering the suitors, he creates a plan to overcome the fact that he is outnumbered: â€Å"’Put aside two broadswords and two spears/ for our own to use, two oxhide shields nearby/ when we go into action. Pallas Athena, and Zeus All Provident will see you through, bemusing our young friends† (Homer 16. 352-358). Odysseus comes up with the plan to prepare weaponry for himself to ensure he had enough to destroy the suitors, while at the same time making sure the suitors do not acquire arms themselves. Although Odysseus wants to annihilate the suitors he keeps his motives in sight and manages to formulate the plan. The analytical ability to act in a difficult situation is essential for a good leader because the environment is ever changing and sometimes rapid decisions must be made. In the end Odysseuss scheme succeeds to provide arms for him and his accomplices, but the suitors are still able to gain weapons. Without perspicacity strength and bravery are nothing. What sets Odysseus apart from other Greek heroes is that he prefers to fight with his brain rather than with his brawn. Odysseuss reason also helps him make up for the fact that unlike the other Greek heroes, he does not have immortality. Lastly, Odysseuss perseverance made it possible for him to finally make it home to Ithaka, his persistence effects his crew which looks up to him for guidance. When Odysseus arrives home he describes what he had to endure to his wife Penelope: â€Å"’My lady, / what ordeals have we not endured! Here, waiting/ you had your grief, while my return dragged out-/ my hard adventures, pitting myself against/ the god’s will†¦ But now our life resumes: we’ve come together to our longed-for-bed†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Homer 23. 394-400). Both Odysseus and his wife have to cope with many challenges throughout Odysseuss 20 year absence. Even after his crew perished and he is left shipless, Odysseus does not give up. Likewise, when Odysseus has to sacrifice his men in a fight against Skylla, he grieves for his loss but he understands that he must push on : â€Å"Now I let go with hands and feet, plunging/ straight into the foam beside the timbers, /pulled astride, /and rowed hard with my hands/ to pass by Skylla†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Homer 9. 564-568). Odysseus is forced overboard into the raging ocean, but he continues to hope. After losing his crew and his ship Odysseus never sets the sight of his goal to reach home. If Odysseus gives up when the gods throw everything they have at him, his quest is impossible. Instead of cowering from his fears, Odysseus attacks them head on, thus proving he will not surrender to challenges until his final destination is reached. Due to his bravery, his intelligence, and his perseverance, Odysseus is depicted as a phenomenal leader in the epic poem The Odyssey. Odysseuss courage in the Kyklopss cave makes it possible for him and his crew to escape the beast. Without Odysseuss acumen it would be impossible for him to surpass the many suitors that ravaged his home. Most importantly, Odysseus carries on when all odds are against him. Without his dedication Odysseus would not be able to bypass the formidable monsters that block his path back home. Many modern leaders can take Odysseuss example; for instance, modern day politicians need to endure when tackling challenges that at times may seem unbeatable. The only way to try to make the world a better place is to solve monumental problems that affect out everyday lives, such as unemployment and conservation of our environment. We, the human race as a whole, are Odysseus and we need to challenge the Polyphemus, which the modern problems of our world.

A Christmas Memory Vs. The Grass Harp :: essays research papers

The two stories, â€Å"A Christmas Memory† and The Grass Harp are strikingly similar due to the fact that Truman Capote wrote both stories. The settings of both stories are very similar. In The Grass Harp the setting is very sullen: the season is fall, the days are always cloudy, and it is very slow moving in a small southern town. Similarly, â€Å"A Christmas Memory† has dismal and sluggish qualities of a southern, rural community in the dead of winter. The first lines of â€Å"A Christmas Memory immediately establish the sad scene: â€Å"Imagine a morning late in November. A coming of winter more than twenty years ago.† Several elements of the story are parallel: the settings, the nature of the friendships, the rejection by peers, and the characters’ love of nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationships between Colin and Dolly in The Grass Harp, and Buddy and Cousin in â€Å"A Christmas Memory† are close regardless of the differences in age. In â€Å"A Christmas Memory,† Buddy and Cousin have a large age split: Buddy is seven and Cousin is in her sixties. In The Grass Harp, Colin and Dolly have a similar age difference. But they are close friends, because they do many things together. They lived in the tree together, as well as dancing with each other. Likewise, Buddy and Cousin have a close relationship and do many things do together. Buddy and Cousin make fruitcakes, find a Christmas tree, and make presents for each other. Buddy describes his relationship with Cousin by stating, â€Å"We are each other’s best friends.† Not only are the friendships in â€Å"A Christmas Memory† and The Grass Harp parallel, but the main characters lives are quite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  each story is a young boy. In â€Å"A Christmas Memory,† Buddy is the main character. In The Grass Harp, the main character is Colin. He is close to fifteen years old. He has no parents and no friends of his own age. He experiences great separation and sadness in his life. In the same way, Buddy has no parents, and his only friend is Cousin, a woman in her mid-sixties. They are best friends, and Buddy frequently refers to her as â€Å"my friend.† â€Å"My friend has a better haul,† says Buddy, describing his Christmas presents in comparison to Cousin’s. When Cousin as Buddy if he is awake, he responds, â€Å"It is my friend, calling from her room.

Analyzing Psychological Disorders Essay

A psychiatric or psychological disorder is a disorder of psychological function severe enough to warrant treatment by a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Schizophrenia, emotional disorders, Anxiety and Tourette’s syndrome are all classified as psychiatric disorders. The distinguishing line between neuropsychological disorders and psychiatric disorders is quite thin. Though the two types of disorders are a result of a dysfunctional brain, the malfunctions which create psychiatric disorders remain undefined. Psychiatric disorders are often linked to environmental factors as well as dysfunction of the brain. As psychological research advances, treatments and a better understanding of psychiatric disorders comes to bear. The term schizophrenia means a psychic break or â€Å"splitting of psychic function†. (Pinel, 2007). The NIH & National Library of Medicine web site defines schizophrenia as having five different categories: catatonic, disorganized, paranoid, residual, and undifferentiated. (NIH & National Library of Medicine, 2008). Each category of the disorder has a specific set of symptoms that is mostly unique to that category of the disorder, but schizophrenia in general creates a delusional picture of reality which disrupts the person’s behavior, logic and emotions. A good example of schizophrenia and the related dissociative disorders are the movie Sybil or the more recent film A Beautiful Mind, and another fine example is the television show United States of Tara. Both movies and the Showtime network’s series depict the lives of a person suffering with schizophrenia or dissociative disorders. Neuroleptics and antipsychotic drugs are known to alleviate symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Clozapine is a type of neuroleptic that does not produce side effects like those associated with Parkinson’s disease. The medication is known to cause blood disorders. Neuroleptic medication is used to block the dopamine receptors though it takes time for the drug to lessen schizophrenic symptoms. Though neuroleptics help schizophrenics, only certain patients do benefit from the relief these drugs can offer. Schizophrenic patients suffering from hallucinations and incoherence react to the medication; however; schizophrenics suffering from cognitive defects are not affected. The NIH & National Library of Medicine web site mentioned atypical antipsychotics have proven to treat symptoms for schizophrenia  with few side effects and is the best option for those suffering with schizophrenia. (NIH & National Library of Medicine, 2008). A surgeon in the 1950’s and early 1960’s used a drug called chlorpromazine on patients to alleviate swelling prior to surgery. The doctor noticed that the medicine acted as a calming agent and recommended chlorpromazine to relax hard to control psychotic patients. Chlorpromazine did not assuage the symptoms of psychosis, but the medicine showed potential for easing some symptoms in schizophrenic patients. During the research process the side effects of chlorpromazine which are symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were evident. Researchers concluded that people suffering from Parkinson’s disease die from a minute level of dopamine. Schizophrenics display a high-level of dopamine. Therefore Parkinson’s and Schizophrenia seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. A breakthrough emerged in the dopamine theory with Carlsson and Lindqvist. The duo studied the Chlorpromazine in relation to schizophrenia and revised the dopamine theory of schizophrenia. Chlorpromazine was found to block dopamine receptors instead of the original theory of reducing dopamine levels. Therefore, the duo concluded through research that schizophrenia was  not due to high-levels of dopamine, but with over activity at the dopamine receptors. (Pinel, 2007). Emotional disorders are another form of a psychiatric disorder. Emotional disorders include: bipolar disorder, depression, and mania. Depression is classified as a state of unbearable sadness. At some point in a person’s life one will encounter a period of depression due to a tragedy such as loss of a loved one, poor health, or a series of bad luck. However, most people will break through the grip of depression and return to a normal life. Those with depression have a hard time seeing anything in a positive light. Depression ruins relationships at work and in the home; the disease also takes over the person making it difficult to engage in a normal day-to-day routine. Mania is the opposite of depression and is linked to high energy and impulse. A person suffering from mania appears to be full of energy or â€Å"hopped up† on energy drinks like Red-Bull and caffeine; they are filled with such enthusiasm, have boundless energy and talk fast. Though it sounds like an exceptional  thing to be constantly in a good spirits there is a negative side to the disorder. Impulsiveness is a part of mania and many suffers act on impulse not thinking before they do anything. The end result is unfinished projects, bills that cannot be paid, and relationships ruined. A person who suffers from manic episodes and depression episodes is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There are two theories created to explain the causes of emotional disorders. According to Pinel (2007), â€Å"The monoamine theory of depression holds that depression is associated with under-activity at serotonergic and noradrenergic synapses. It is based on the fact that monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, and selective norepinephrinereuptake inhibitors are all agonists  of serotonin, norepinephrine, or both.† The second theory is Diathesis-Stress model. The second theory focuses on genetic predispositions of a person as well as environmental factors that influence the disorder. This means that people who have stress early on will overreact to stressful situations later in life in turn causing depression. (Pinel, 2007). There are four types of medicine used to treat emotional disorders. Iproniazid is a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) initially used to treat tuberculosis but failed. On the contrary the patients did not have as many depressive thoughts about the illness. Iproniazid has severe effects when combined with tyramine rich foods. Imipamine is a tricyclic antidepressant which has proven to be more effective than MAOI’s. The next medication is Lithium which was shown to alleviate symptoms of mania. The discovery was made when a researcher tested guinea pigs and the results proved to calm them. Lithium is used as a mood stabilizer in bi-polar patients since it blocks the patient from transitioning between extreme highs and lows. The fourth medicine used more commonly in recent years is selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The most common of the SSRI’s are Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. The SSRI’s are reported to have few side effects and are able to treat multiple disorders. (Pinel, 2007). â€Å"Anxiety is chronic fear that persists in the absence of any direct threat.† (Pinel, 2007). Anxiety is accompanied by rapid heartbeat, heavy or difficulty breathing and high blood pressure. There are five  types of anxiety disorders including: general anxiety, phobias, obsessive compulsiveness, panic, and post traumatic stress disorder. Theories involving anxiety disorders presume the amygdala has a role in anxiety disorders. The brain’s involvement in anxiety is cloudy at best since each patient tested shows different results. (Pinel, 2007). Benzodiazepines and serotonin agonists are the most effective medications used to combat anxiety. Valium and Librium are two of the most commonly prescribed medications, though they tend to make the patient drowsy. The medicine is  also known to be highly addictive and is recommended only for short-term usage. Buspirone is a serotonin agonist which relaxes the body and causes sleepiness. (Pinel, 2007). Tourette’s syndrome is known for involuntary movements or sounds known as tics. The Cedars-Sinai web site notes that the tics can vary from body movements and vocal tics. The tics can be a little as involuntary eye blinking or more noticeable yelling of obscene words or phrases. Little is known as to the cause of Tourette’s, however there is speculation that the limbic cortex, association cortex and thalamus are connected to the disorder. (Pinel, 2007). With the cause still a mystery there is no cure for Tourette’s, but though counseling, relaxation therapy and hypnosis healthcare professionals can help treat the disorder. (Cedars-Sinai. 2008). Psychiatric disorders vary in many ways. Schizophrenia affects the brain and causes hallucinations, emotional disorders affect a person’s mood in extreme ways, and anxiety causes fear and health issues, while Tourette’s causes tics ranging from subtle to severe. Over time psychological advances in research and treatment have been made allowing professionals in the field to effectively treat each disorder. References CEDARS-SINAI. (2008). Tourette’s syndrome. Retrieved June 10, 2009, from http://www.csmc.edu/5540.html NIH & National Library of Medicine. (2008). Medical Encyclopedia: Schizophrenia. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000928.htm Pinel, J. P. J. (2007). Basics of Biopsychology. Boston, MA. Allyn and Bacon.

An Importance Of Environmental Education - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1312 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category Ecology Essay Level High school Topics: Water Pollutions Essay Did you like this example? Besides, environment education is one of the most effective way in combat with the existing water pollution problems. According to Karata A. and Karata E.(2015), environmental education is the process of recognizing values and clarifying concepts in developing ones attitudes to comprehend his or her interrelatedness between human beings and biophysical circumstances, that is, aim to developing the human in the world to be alert and pay attention to the environmental issues and which can work systematically to solve the existing problems and provide precautions to the predicted one by having knowledges, skills, attitudes, motivation and commitment. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Importance Of Environmental Education" essay for you Create order It is important to educate the people about the impacts if the water in earth is being polluted and there will be a serious issue when the rate of purification activities such as raining process is exceeded by the rate of pollution of the water. A research carried in Rasht City of Guilan Province by Noorhosseini, Allahyari, Damalas and Moghaddam (2017) showed that in overall, 62.7% of the residents had moderate, 20% had high, and 4% had very high environmental awareness which means that the available environmental education is insufficient for the world citizens. Thus, it is essential for the group participated in the environmental education to instil the civilian of the understanding about the water pollution to create a barrier for the clean water sources from being polluted in every country. The groups should contribute the relevant information in biology, chemistry, geology and hydrology for the individuals and groups to better analyse the pollution by critical thinking. For examples, the students in university is going to take the subjects pertinent with the environment conservation such as wastewater treatment and recycling methods, the farmers have to possess a good attitude in fertilizing biologically as excessive us e of chemical fertilizer may cause negative consequences (Karatas A. and Karatas E.,2015). Parents have to know about the jeopardies of excessive consumption and children will follow their parents lead to reduce the family consumption of water. Moreover, instructional slideshows, films, presentations and posters those emphasize the important of conversation of environment ought to be use. These meaningful educations are focusing to help people develop knowledge and ability to overcome the water pollution. In this sense, awareness and vigilance should be targeted for every people no matter old or young with environment education. At this point, local governments have the duty and responsible for the preservation of water pollution as they are the primarily organizations. All the other level of education organizations, NGOs, private and public institutions should work together to build a social neighbourhood with strong environment alertness to reduce the water pollution level. Precaution and conscious provide our future assurance and the perseverance of human being (Karatas A. and Karatas E.,2015). Beside from water pollution, critical solution can also be developed for other types of environment issues with environmental education as the environmental education purpose to bring the peoples attitudes towards the environment to a positive direction. So, this will rise p eoples alertness and environmental amicably people able to produce radical solution to overcome any kind of environmental problems. Here, environmental education is extremely important for water pollution as it helps people to apply good attitudes when dealing with the issues. Critical thinking, effective determination and decision-making skill can be enhanced by such educations. Hence, to reduce the water pollution level in Earth, environmental education will always be the primarily method as it can provides long-term solutions. In water, there are many different kinds of chemical substances are considered as pollutants including inorganic ions and complex organic molecules hence these pollutants can be categorised into various classes and each class of these pollutant has its own particular hazards (Sharma, Gulati, Puri,2014). In organic water pollutants, crude oil and various petroleum products may cause severe harmful effect to the aquatic life. There are also chlorinated solvents which are quite persistent and toxic that cannot be seen by naked eye and other organic solvents like ethanol, methyl ketone and acetone that are mostly produce by commercial industries every day. In addition, food processing by-product including fats and grease can pollute the water too. Large amount of chemical usage including pesticides, insecticides and herbicides in agricultural activities are typically an example of pollutants in water. Whereas the inorganic pollutants are metal and inorganic fertilizers. The metal and their compounds increase health hazards as the organometallic compounds poisoning the water and the health risk is higher. Some of the inorganic pollutants are not poisonous but are still a menace if they are used excessively such as nitrates and phosphates will cause the bloom of algae in surface water which decrease the oxygen level in the water and eventually the aquatic creatures are unable to live on. This phenomenon is termed as eutrophication. The traditional technologies for water treatment including coagulation-flocculation, filtration and disinfection which deal with the influent water source consist of just naturally existing biological and chemical substances. However, increasing of difficulty in treatment of drinking water in recent y ears is due to the consequences of urbanization and industrialization which cause the discharge of various kind of toxic chemicals into natural water source. The existence of disinfection-resistant pathogens is a threat in the water treatment since disinfection is the last line of protection in water treatment. Especially in urbanized nation, it is imperative to improve the technologies for the water treatment plants to hold the requirement for the elimination of complex chemical compound, preserve the drinking water resources from being attack by the pathogen agents. Green chemistry solutions provide the prevention of water pollution in a technically sound and cost-effective way in advance research and development and accomplishment of innovative water treatment technologies (Sharma, Gulati, Puri,2014). The green methodologies tend to process efficiency and consistency, better investment and operation cost savings and less rely on chemicals that results in a environment friendly water treatment. These improvements will give better quality of treated water and a high degree of persistency by recycling and reuse of the chemicals, waste minimization and less use of energy. Coagulation is one of the process in water treatment that destabilize and aggregate the smaller particles into larger com plex compounds. Water waste like colloids, heavy metal and ions are held by electrical charges can be destabilized and aggregated to be separated from the wastewater. Coagulation can be achieved by chemically and electrically. Electrocoagulation introduces an electrical current into an aqueous solution basically with an aluminium and iron anode. Aluminium is generally the best material in electrocoagulation as it provides trivalent cations and mostly usable in any types of wastewater treatment applications. According to a experiment carried out by Lech, Teresa, Boguslaw, and Marta (2012), electrocoagulation is able to seize more than 99% of various heavy metal cations and capable for microorganism removal from the water. Electrocoagulation provides many advantages such as no addition of coagulation chemicals, low cost in operation compared with traditional water treatment system, much less of sludge production and easy to maintain. Thus, it presents a environment friendly and effectively way for sustainable water reuse. Traditional coagulation involves the use of chemical coagulant like aluminium and iron salt may produce large volume of sludge with high bound water content which can be hard to be removed and separated. In addition, they are limited to eliminate turbidity and only a portion of natural organic matters (NOM). In this case, enhanced coagulation method is introduced in recent years to remove the disinfection by products that come from the natural organic matter and also eliminates inorganics, small particles and colour causing compounds. In water treatment plant, chemical coagulants is the main arm in removing organic substances and improving the effectiveness of this enhanced coagulation. Generally, it is an optimized coagulation process with long-practiced techniques to deal with the NOM removal. Several studies and research have been conducted on the low basicity, highly charged polymeric aluminium and ferric salts like polymeric sulphate and polyaluminoferric sulphate.